Introducing the research group

Research Activities at the Department and the Precision Bio-Engineering Research Group

The research activities of the Department of Bioengineering and Precision Technologies have traditionally focused on the investigation and development of the technical conditions of crop production. This includes the testing of agricultural power and machinery, as well as the study of drying (heat and mass transport processes), storage, and handling operations of certain agricultural (biological) materials. In addition to existing research on food process engineering, the department’s main research focus has shifted towards precision agriculture. This transition was primarily driven by the rapid technological advancements in agriculture since the 1990s. The department has continuously adapted to these changes and contributed to technological progress and the dissemination of practical applications. Since the late 1990s, precision agriculture has been a key research direction.

The development of precision technologies—including remote sensing, sensor-based data collection, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, and agricultural robotics—is an integral part of our research activities. The department is a leader in collecting, processing, and analyzing data obtained from deployed IoT stations. In the increasingly widespread field of agricultural robotics, we have developed an autonomous horticultural data collection robot capable of performing monitoring tasks (e.g., yield estimation) and interventions using machine vision and artificial intelligence. This device was granted design protection in 2024. The evolution of drone technology since 2015 has opened new avenues in agriculture, leading our department to initiate research and development projects focused on the applications of drones.

To integrate and standardize these research activities, we established the Precision Bio-Engineering Research Group in 2023. The main research areas of the group include:

• Conducting flights with monitoring and spraying drones, performing multispectral imaging, and collecting data;
• Designing, developing, and constructing agricultural data collection robots, as well as testing prototypes;
• Exploring applications of machine vision in agriculture;
• Operating field sensors and IoT systems, collecting and processing big data;
• Developing sensors for field and greenhouse applications;
• Developing meteorological stations;
• Developing autonomous tractors.